this post was submitted on 23 Jun 2023
138 points (100.0% liked)

Science Fiction

73 readers
1 users here now

This magazine is aimed at fans and creators of sci-fi and related media of all kinds. It includes all content related to the sci-fi genre and only content related to the sci-fi genre. The goal is to build a community for everyone who enjoys science fiction and related topics. This includes the obvious books, movies, and TV shows, but also original writing, the discussion of writing SF, futuristic art and designs, and the science and technologies that inspire the sci-fi genre. **Team Top 20**

founded 2 years ago
 

It's a slightly click-baity title, but as we're still generating more content for our magazines, this one included, why not?

My Sci-fi unpopular opinion is that 2001: A Space Odyssey is nothing but pretentious, LSD fueled nonsense. I've tried watching it multiple times and each time I have absolutely no patience for the pointless little scenes which contain little to no depth or meaningful plot, all coalescing towards that 15 minute "journey" through space and series of hallucinations or whatever that are supposed to be deep, shake you to your foundations, and make you re-think the whole human condition.

But it doesn't. Because it's just pretentious, LSD fueled nonsense. Planet of the Apes was released in the same year and is, on every level, a better Sci-fi movie. It offers mystery, a consistent and engaging plot, relatable characters you actually care about, and asks a lot more questions about the world and our place in it.

It insists upon itself, Lois.

(page 3) 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Lexx: Xev was superior to Zev in every way.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I feel like enjoying Lexx at all is an unpopular opinion, at least where I am. I really loved potatohoe, stand-out moment for me.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I'd like to see season 4 of Dark Matter produced. The cliffhanger at the end of S3 was insane and I still can't believe they canceled the show and left it at that.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 years ago (2 children)

ST:TNG specific: Data is not sentient, there is no ghost in the machine. His code is just very good at mimicry. he doesn't understand what he is saying any more than ChatGPT does. He is just predicting the appropriate course of action to do next.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Star Wars isn't just a dumb action movie franchise, and has a ton of depth to explore. Sequels notwithstanding.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

The earth is always moving through space so most time travellers should just end up falling off the earth and dying in the cold vaccum of space.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 years ago

If you know enough quantum-relativistic-magical-bullshit to design a time machine, you also know the basic Newtonian mechanics to calculate where the Earth was/will be and how to compensate it.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago

Star Wars isn't Sci-Fi, it's a space fairy tale.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

First of, let's suppose that Star Wars is sci fi. Secondly, my greatest gripe with it is that the light side and dark side make zero sense as a mechanic and only as an ideology. AND as an ideology, it also makes little sense. By establishing that there is a good side and a bad side, and establishing that you must be one of them, you necessitate that there will be bad guys. All it takes is to indoctrinate a child into thinking "I must be good, for if I am not then I am evil" to literally create more evil people. I had hoped that the sequels would address this with Luke and they only led to catastrophic disappointment

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago

I fully agree with you. 2001 is literally the most disappointing movie I've ever watched. Not exaggerating. I heard so much about it and was excited to finally watch it, only to be extremely let down by how boring it is. Only good thing I got out of it is memes and references. I'd name my Google Home HAL if I could (but literally no major smart device lets you set their name).

One opinion of mine that may be unpopular is that Star Wars has very amateur writing. I say this this mostly in reference to how the villains are so comically evil, yet so incompetent that the galaxy spanning villain is frequently defeated by a band of a couple hundred rebels. There's many parts of Star Wars I really enjoy (I've admittedly seen nearly every TV show and movie), but the big picture writing is pretty much never one of them.

Andor had the best writing among any of the Star Wars movies/shows I've seen, because it frequently showed the villains as terrified themselves. Plus the very first "villain" we encounter isn't actually wrong (he's a security guard investigating the murders of some people and genuinely believes he's trying to stop a murderer).

[–] GlitterBandRebel 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I read the entire space odyssey series before watching any of the movies and I really liked the books, they're pretty much what got me into sci-fi. But the movie was absolute garbage, I agree. And I say this as someone who's done LSD a bunch of times.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] rty654rty654 3 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Space sounds in movies are BS and they ruin the atmosphere.

I shouldn't hear lazers, craft screetching by, etc.

Fucking starwars.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 years ago

Star Wars never was Science Fiction, though. It’s got space wizards and hyperspace stuff. It’s fantasy set in space.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago

Space Odyssey is pretty close adaptation of book and has more dialogue than book. So there was this art approach which some like and others don't. For me book is amazing but film is boring.

New adaptation of Dune is similar but more digestible for regular viewer.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago (2 children)

I love the entire "2001" series, and I've even watched the "2010" movie. I understand where your opinions are coming from and I will not judge you for them; but I personally disagree. Then again, I'm also someone who genuinely enjoys watching Citizen Kane, so I might just have a skewed perspective. Mind you, I also enjoy the 1995 Johnny Mnemonic movie and have watched Overdrawn at the Memory Bank without MST3K - so I'm all over in terms of sci-fi.

Here's my big hot take lately: of the "virtual world" sci-fi movies of 1999, I'm honestly upset that the Matrix was the one that won the cultural zeitgeist, rather than The Thirteenth Floor and eXistenZ. I understand that a Cronenberg movie probably wasn't going to win the public even if it did have Jennifer Jason Lee, Jude Law, and cameos from Ian Holm and Willem Dafoe; but The Thirteenth Floor had a great story, a solid cast, and really nice set designs - not to mention the moment that the covers of the home releases have always spoiled.

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments
view more: ‹ prev next ›